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“Ooh, Professor. You know just what to say, don’t you?”
I absent-mindedly reached over to her leg. I meant it to be a supportive pat.
Or, maybe not.
I didn’t know. I wasn’t thinking.
Because, suddenly, my fingers were pressed into her thigh, squeezing, and Kennedy’s lips parted slightly, like her legs did. A few seconds passed before I realized what the hell I was doing, and that I was 0.1 seconds from taking advantage of what appeared to be her unintentional welcoming gesture. Her widening legs gave me room to move, allowing my fingertips to roam and explore the heated place between them, but I knew she didn’t mean for it to happen, and I jerked my traitorous hand back.
“I’m sorry,” I said, and she shook her head, her lips wet from licking them.
Not sure where to go from here, I stayed silent, hoping I hadn’t insulted her. But besides her quickened breath, she displayed no outward signs of being offended, and I rubbed at the back of my neck, knowing I needed to get a hold of myself.
Mentally promising to keep my hands to myself and my thoughts pure enough to make my mother proud, I rolled down the window.
The cold September air didn’t help my imagination, but it did wake up Finn, and he whined, grabbing at his straps, wanting out.
“Almost there,” Kennedy told him as she turned down another street, heading straight for the strip mall. She said to me, “I know you weren’t serious about the bribe, but I really do need to get a few things. I hope you don’t mind.”
“I don’t mind, and I was serious. I don’t go back on my word.”
Her brows rose, and I hated that something as minor as a guy keeping his promise would impress her. Whoever had lowered the bar for her needed to get the shit kicked out of him.
She pulled into the lot in front of Ulta and shut off the ignition before facing me. “I wanted to talk to you about something.”
Finn whined, and I tossed him a snack bag of chips, which would keep him busy for a minute or two while I waited for her to continue.
“We never discussed holidays, and I didn’t know if you already had plans or not, but I was wondering if it would be okay for me to visit my mom for Thanksgiving?”
“Yeah, of course.” I waved my hand. “You didn’t even need to ask.”
“I don’t want to leave you high and dry.”
I shook my head. “You’re not.”
“Are you sure?”
“Yeah. And don’t give me those eyes. Contrary to popular belief,” I said with forced amusement, “I am quite capable of fathering my son on my own for a bit.”
“Please,” she said all dramatic as she unbuckled her seat belt, “it’s not only me who knows you’re a capable father. The entire internet knows.”
I huffed and stepped out of the car to get Finn from his seat. He wiggled for me to put him down, and I grabbed his hand, as usual. What wasn’t usual was how Kennedy took the snack bag of chips from him so she could hold his other hand.
And I swear to God, my heart actually skipped a beat.
“You say contrary to popular belief, but you’re the only one who thinks you’re not a good dad.” Kennedy stared at me as the three of us walked toward the store. “If I have to be brave, then you have to be more confident.”
She had me there, but even at thirty-six, I found it all too easy to dwell on my mistakes. It was part of the reason I worked out before bed, so I would be too tired to go over everything I’d ever done wrong in my entire life. But I didn’t have time to psychoanalyze that at the moment because Kennedy swung open the big black door, and I was hit with a kaleidoscope of colors and scents. Finn danced around, desperate to run free.
“I know,” she said to him in a quiet voice of awe, “that’s how I feel whenever I come here.”
I let go of his hand, watching as the two took off. At the nail polish section, he showed her some shimmery color.
“That’s very pretty, isn’t it?”
He nodded eagerly, captivated by the pink and purple sparkles.
Then she gazed up at me from where she kneeled, as if my opinion was important too.
